Nuisance caller cost the taxpayer £78,000 by making 408 calls to the ambulance service in two years

A woman who cost the taxpayer £78,000 by phoning ambulance service more than 400 times in two years has been jailed.

Mariette Mcharg, 54, also cost the health service a further £94,611 in unscheduled care.

She was sentenced to six months in jail for a number of offences including the assault of an officer and the assault of two nurses.

When our resources are unnecessarily directed to individuals such as this, it can impact significantly on our servicesRobin Petterson

She made a total of 408 calls to the Welsh Ambulance Service via 999 between July 2014 and July this year, the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust said.

That amounted to a cost of £78,000 with 356 unit hours being taken up managing the calls using ambulance resources.

Mcharg also attended the Emergency Unit at University Hospital of Wales 59 times, equalling 372 hours of care, with an additional 55 attendances to Llandough Poisons Unit and 127 calls to GP Out of Hours.

The Trust said her unscheduled care contacts within Cardiff and Vale University Health Board area cost £94,611.

Mcharg, of Barry, south Wales, was prosecuted under the Communications Act in relation to the calls, and as a result of all the charges, was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Robin Petterson, the Welsh Ambulance Service's Clinical Support Officer for Cardiff and Vale, said: "We only ever take court action against frequent callers as a last resort.

"When our resources are unnecessarily directed to individuals such as this, it can impact significantly on our services that the people of Wales rely on us for.

"We recognise that some frequent callers have complex needs, and in this particular instance we have dedicated a large amount of time working with multiple partner agencies to provide increased support and advice for her to access appropriate services.

"Unfortunately, despite repeated attempts to identify her unmet needs, there was an escalation in her behaviour which led to us having to pursue court action as a final deterrent.

"It's essential that we protect this precious service for those genuine life-threatening situations."